The following are the members of President Barack Obama's cabinet.
| Secretary of State | John Kerry |
| Secretary of the Treasury | Jacob Lew |
| Secretary of Defense | Ashton B. Carter |
| Attorney General | Loretta Lynch |
| Secretary of the Interior | Sally Jewell |
| Secretary of Agriculture | Tom J. Vilsack |
| Secretary of Commerce | Penny Pritzker |
| Secretary of Labor | Thomas E. Perez |
| Secretary of Health and Human Services | Sylvia Mathews Burwell |
| Secretary of Housing and Urban Development | Julián Castro |
| Secretary of Transportation | Anthony Foxx |
| Secretary of Energy | Ernest Moniz |
| Secretary of Education | Arne Duncan |
| Secretary of Veterans Affairs | Robert McDonald |
| Secretary of Homeland Security | Jeh Johnson |
Click here: Trump Adm. Cabinet (speculations)
Dr. Ben Carson, the retired neurosurgeon and former presidential candidate, has been mentioned for Secretary of Education and is virtually the only name being floated for Secretary of Health and Human Services after Florida Gov. Rick Scott signaled he was not interested in the position. Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has been mentioned in reports for Secretary of the Interior.Politico also reported that Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke, an outspoken Trump supporter whose law-and-order message dovetails with the president-elect’s, is a potential candidate for Homeland Security secretary. Retiring Rep. Jeff Miller of Florida, chairman of the Veterans Affairs committee, is possibly being considered for Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
Here are some more thoughts about the Trump Era cabinet: Trump will choose based on (1) talent and ability in the specific area, such as Sarah Palin for Secretary of the Interior; (2) having the Conservative MOVEMENT ideology, like he has; (3) Loyalty to Trump and a present or growing closeness to Trump, like Laura Ingraham (she will be in some other role, probably).
If you want to see some of the obvious under consideration, watch Trump's Victory Speech on election night where so many walked onto the stage with him, and he called some out, calling Reince Priebus to speak at the mike, who would make a great Chief of Staff for Trump.
Here is some more from the article:
Trump and his transition team, meanwhile, already are hard at work. Trump, after meeting with President Obama in Washington, tweeted Friday:
So how much different will the Trump administration really be?
Trump campaign aides are suggesting the Cabinet would “be a mix” of outsiders and more traditional choices.
“Keep in mind, this campaign was an outsider campaign, so it would be foolish to go ahead place a bunch of Washington, D.C., insiders into D.C. roles,” a senior aide told reporters on VP-elect Mike Pence’s flight from New York to D.C. on Thursday.
The following is a cheat sheet of possible considerations so far for Trump’s Cabinet and White House positions:
Secretary of State
Former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton, former House Speaker Newt Gingrichand Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker are at the center of speculation as to who would lead world affairs in a Trump administration.
Bolton, who served as U.N. ambassador under George W. Bush and is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, is reportedly one of the top candidates. Trump told radio host Hugh Hewitt back in August that Bolton would be under consideration, saying, "He was very good in defending me in some of my views, and very, very strong."
Gingrich, who was on the short-list for Trump’s VP spot, is almost certain to serve in the administration in some capacity. The question is where.
Speaking with the “Sean Hannity Show,” Gingrich voiced more interest in a non-Cabinet role.
"I would like to be sort of a senior planner, trying to think through how we fundamentally, at the most basic levels, restructure the federal government," Gingrich said. Gingrich suggested a Cabinet post would preclude him from playing such a role, saying, "I don't think it's possible to do one of the major jobs -- you know, running one of the departments -- and think strategically."
Corker, who heads the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, endorsed Trump over the summer and has expressed interest in the secretary of state post.
Foreign Relations Richard Haass is another name floating around for the lead diplomat position.
Secretary of Defense
Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions is one top official speculated to be in consideration for the lead spot at the Pentagon. Sessions, who was the first U.S. senator to endorse Trump in the primaries, serves on the Senate Committee on Armed Services and chairs the Strategic Forces subcommittee.
Retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, an important figure in giving Trump’s military strategy legitimacy throughout his campaign, is also being floated for the position. However, his nomination would require a congressional waiver as law stipulates retired military personnel must wait seven years before taking the defense secretary position.
Attorney General
Rudy Giuliani, the former New York City mayor, has expressed interest in the position and is being touted as a leading candidate for the job. Prior to his tenure as mayor, Giuliani was a U.S. associate attorney general and the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York under President Reagan.
Speaking Thursday on “Fox & Friends,” Giuliani left the door open.
“I thought I was finished, but then I got involved in the Trump campaign,” he said. “When you talk to the president of the United States and he wants you to do a job, I certainly would not go into that conversation with a firm 'no' in my mind. But I’d want to talk about maybe three or four other people that might be better for it. If there aren’t, then maybe I would do it.”
Giuliani said he would be interested in focusing on cybersecurity, and talked up another possible AG prospect, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.
While Christie has been hurt politically by the “Bridge-gate” scandal, Giuliani said that was blown out of proportion and Christie would be good for “any position.”
Secretary of the Treasury
Steven Mnuchin, Trump’s finance chairman and former Goldman Sachs banker, could be a top pick for Treasury secretary. Trump indicated late in the campaign that he would seriously consider Mnuchin for the position. Brokers and bankers on Wall Street reportedly looked to Mnuchin for insight on Trump’s finance policy.
Carl Icahn, chairman of Icahn Enterprises, also is speculated to be in the running.
JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon’s name has come up, too.
In a memo to staff obtained by FoxNews.com, Dimon said Trump’s election and other developments in the world signal widespread frustration with the “lack of economic opportunity.”
“We need to listen to those voices,” he said in the memo.
Chief of Staff
At least three big names have been bandied about most frequently for the coveted and powerful chief of staff role: RNC Chairman Reince Priebus, campaign CEO Steve Bannon and Christie.
Priebus, who presided over the GOP’s 2014 midterm takeover of the Senate and now the 2016 takeover of Washington, was tasked with building the virtually non-existent bridges between the national Republican Party and Trump’s campaign as he closed in on the nomination, as well as smoothing over disagreements over Trump’s bid among congressional Republicans. When asked about the speculation, Priebus told Fox News: “I don’t know. This is up to President-elect Trump. He will make all of these decisions. He will surround himself with great people.”
Bannon, the Breitbart News executive who came on as the Trump campaign CEO, also reportedly is in the running for the position.
Chris Christie has the respect of President-elect Trump, but due to public opinion, he might be given the plum of Ambassador to Albania or Ukraine. There are so many opportunities to fulfill. Newt Gingrich is perhaps the smartest, next to Trump, and has given Trump great advice. He would like to be a 'senior advisor' and not do all the work of a cabinet position; same with Dr Carson.
Cabinet appointments require McConnell/Senate approval, which will be rather automatic! Everyone wants to support the winning team. Republicans have the Majority in the Senate.
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